The 2010 Kia Soul

At this year’s Detroit Auto Show, one vehicle really caught my eye: the Kia Soul. I’d seen preview pictures beforehand but pretty much ho-hummed the car as a Scion xB wannabe. But seeing it in person changed my mind. It’s the right size and the right shape to maximize its space. I guess it’s the squareness that appeals to me. (My kids, believe it or not, think I’m square. A short while back the family traded in our trusted but somewhat tired Hyundai Elantra for a Scion xB—the original, really square one, not the bloated new model—so maybe, yes, I am a square. But, to quote Huey Lewis: “It’s hip to be square!”)

The Kia Soul

Here’s how the Soul compares to the original xB (2004 to 2007): The xB has a 98.4 inch wheelbase, while the Soul’s is 100.4; the overall length of the Soul is 161.6 inches while the xB is about a half-foot shorter; the xB is about an inch taller at 64.6 inches; and the Soul is almost four inches wider at 70.3 inches. The biggest difference is in the passenger volume, where the Soul, probably due to its extra length and width, has over 12 cubic feet more space. And I’ve never found the xB to be exactly cramped, unless you’re the middle passenger in the second row.

Climbing in and out of cars at a car show is no real measure of comfort, so last week I headed over to Northtown Kia, where I found their first two Souls had arrived for sale to the public. Kia had sent one Korean-spec Soul to each US dealer some time ago to help whet our appetites, but they couldn’t legally be driven on US roads. Northtown sales guy Rob Bullwinkel steered me to a Bright Silver Soul base model. (Other models are the +, !—or if you prefer, the plus, the exclaim—and the sport. Seems punctuation marks and lower case letters are in these days.) The base model is by no means a stripper though. Standard on all Souls, no matter what their punctuation mark, are: air conditioning, tilt wheel, power windows and locks, am/fm/cd/mp3/Sirius Satellite (with three months free) sound system, with USB/auxiliary input jacks; solar glass; and a host of safety features including four-wheel disc brakes; ABS; electronic stability control; front, seat-mounted, and side-curtain air bags; tire-pressure monitoring system; and more. The sticker on the base model I drove was a reasonable $14,090.

Moving up to the plus upgrades the engine from the base model’s 1.6-liter inline four to a 2.0-liter with a bump of 20 hp to 142. The base is available only with a five-speed manual transmission, but you can opt for an automatic with overdrive in other models. The plus will get you steering-wheel mounted audio controls, Bluetooth, 16-inch alloy wheels, remote keyless entry, and a unique black interior. The exclaim model adds a houndstooth pattern to the upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gearshift knob, 18-inch alloys, power sunroof, fog lights, a center speaker, subwoofer, 315-watt external amplifier, and speaker lights. The sport model starts with the plus and adds a cool red and black two-tone interior, rear spoiler, sport-tuned suspension, and 18-inch alloys. EPA gas mileage estimates are 26/31 for the base, and 24/30 for the others.

Driving the base Soul was not what you’d expect. I know it was a brand new car and all, but as I sat it in for a couple of minutes getting acquainted with the controls, I didn’t even realize the engine was running until I looked at the tachometer. Yes, it’s that quiet. It’s a comfortable, small-car ride for you and a bunch of your stuff. You won’t win a lot of stoplight races, but really, does anybody even care anymore? We all know that jackrabbit starts are a real waste of gas.

And that’s for real squares.

Jim Corbran is a regular contributor on the Artvoice blogs. You can read more "You Auto Know" on AV Daily.